There are two halves to the required self-assessment for grade abatement.
- First, there is a form, which is outlined here and mirrors the GAP process itself.
- Second, there is a short written response, which is explained in this post and repeated on Google Classroom.
For the writing, the best feedback can be read in this document:
An example of how the prompt is posted, from the end of Q1 in 2019:
Before we discuss the data, here is a random selection of adequate or effective responses from that Q1C example:
Emulate those in the future. Use the feedback below to help you.
Requirements
First, even though it’s obvious: You have to do the writing. It is always required. You should never turn in a GAP report without attaching a response, and the amount you write should fit the definition of sufficient in this post:
Your insights and observations are necessary for any sort of feedback. It’s how you keep the chain going.
Compliance Data
If you fail to write a thoughtful response about your progress, two things will happen:
- You will break that feedback chain, which slows your overall progress.
- You will provide last-second evidence of a lower profile.
Compliance is always an issue, of course. It’s human nature not to do the right thing, even when the choice is obvious. That doesn’t excuse lapses in judgment, but it may help you to be honest about what you need to adjust.
It may also help to see hard data about noncompliance and its effect on the learning environment. Here are some statistics from November 14, 2019, which was the date of the last GAP report of Q1:
Section 1: 29 students | 17% submitted a written response.
Section 2: 27 students | 33% submitted a written response.
Section 3: 25 students | 24% submitted a written response.
Section 4: 16 students | 19% submitted a written response.
Section 5: 19 students | 33% submitted a written response.
This does not include late work or work generated through individual conferences the next week. The key takeaway: Only 25% of all students met the deadline for a written response.
Next, we have to evaluate whether the individual responses in that 25% were adequate or effective. This kind of self-analysis must use the language of the selected profile and the language of the skills and traits. That’s not difficult to do, because all of that language fits on the front and back of a single page:
If a student just copies over the selected profile and writes, “This is me,” it at least demonstrates an awareness that there is required language. It’s a lapse in close reading and critical thinking to make up what you think constitutes a particular grade.
Overall, 41% of the completed assignments were adequate or effective. That means only 10% of the total student roster handed in adequate work by the deadline. This is much lower than normal, and it doesn’t include late work. That’s why I’m using the example: All that late and insufficient work slowed down the feedback process and prevented us from using the makerspace’s flexibility to make adjustments. It gummed up the works.
If you take the time to write when asked, you improve your score, help your progress, and prevent damage to the class.
Ask any questions about these reports below.